Nigeria’s representatives in the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL), Rivers Hoopers of Port Harcourt, will depart for Rabat, Morocco, tomorrow ahead of the championship, which tips off this weekend.

The team arrived in Lagos at the weekend to continue their preparation for the fifth season of the Basketball Africa League. While in Lagos, the Hoopers are expected to play some friendly games before leaving for Rabat, where they will also play some games before their first match on Saturday.

Before departing for Lagos on Sunday, the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Sports, Kelvin Nweke, hosted the team to a lunch and reassured them that they would receive continuous support from the government. He encouraged the team to surpass their third-place finish in last season’s BAL, adding: “On behalf of the ministry and the state government. We promise you the best of support.

“We are expecting you to go a step forward from last year’s result. Success is not easy. It is easy to get to the top but staying at the top is more difficult.”

Rivers Hoopers will open their campaign this season against Stade Malien on Saturday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, Rabat, Morocco.